For a day, I was one of the millions of Americans without a bank account

I was participating in a sort of financial scavenger hunt that aims to replicate how life works for the millions of Americans — about a quarter of all households — who either don’t have bank accounts or still rely on storefront check cashers, payday lenders and prepaid debit cards to manage their money.

Other participants and I gathered in a conference room. Each team was assigned a different L.A. neighborhood and asked to complete several transactions, including cashing a few checks, getting a debit card, asking about a loan and buying a small gift. There was an extra catch: It all had to be done in about two hours, a time limit many of us thought was generous given our own experiences with financial products.